Baseball Slams Seven Homers in C-USA Opener, Defeats MTSU 23-7

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Old Dominion University baseball tied the school record by slamming seven home runs in the Conference USA opener at Middle Tennessee, defeating the Blue Raiders 23-7 on Friday evening in Murfreesboro.
 
Matt Coutney slugged two home runs and had a career-high five hits, while Andy Garriola went 3-for-5 with a pair of homers and five RBIs. Coutney and Garriola scored four runs apiece.

ODU has now scored 20 or more runs in a game three times this season.
 
The No. 21 ranked Monarchs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Kenny Levari reached on an error by the shortstop and with one out Andy Garriola hit a homer to put ODU on the board.
 
MTSU tied the score with two in the bottom of the first, but ODU quickly retook the lead in the second with an RBI double from Chris Dengler to make the score 3-2.
 
Old Dominion (15-1) took control with a seven-run third inning. Matt Coutney led off with a single and moved to second on a base hit from Robbie Petracci and Brock Gagliardi followed with a single to score Coutney. Tommy Bell walked to load the bases to bring up Thomas Wheeler who delivered a run scoring single. After a flyout and a strikeout, Carter Trice knocked a single to left to score a pair. Garriola put the finishing touches on the inning with his second homer of the day, this a three-run shot to put ODU on top 10-2.
 
The Monarchs pushed across two more runs in the fourth inning. Gagliardi single and moved to second on a walk by Wheeler. Both runners moved up on a ground out and Gagliardi scored on a wild pitch. Levari struck out but reached first on a wild pitch that allowed Wheeler to score.
 
The fifth inning was more of the same, as Garriola led off with a walk and Coutney singled. Robbie Petracci hit a towering home run to right center for a 15-2 ODU lead. 
 
MTSU scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Monarchs scored three more runs in the sixth. Again, it was Garriola, who hit a one-out double to left center before Coutney drilled a home run. Gagliardi walked and came around to score on Wheeler's RBI fielder's choice. The Blue Raiders scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning to make the score 18-6.
 
ODU wasn't done yet, as Levari walked and Trice followed with a two-run shot to make the score 20-6. Coutney came to the plate with one out and drilled a homer to deep center for his second of the day.
 
Gagliardi registered the final runs for the Monarchs with a two-run homer in the ninth, ODU's seventh homer of the day, to make the score 23-7. 
 
Gagliardi had three hits on the day, scored four runs and had three RBIs. Trice went 2-for-6 with four RBIs and Petracci was 3-for-5 with three runs driven in, while Wheeler was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
 
Tommy Gertner earned the win, tossing five innings, allowing seven hits and four runs. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
 
The two teams play again tomorrow at Reese Smith Field at 4 p.m.